A pig who is scared, a spider who is clever, and a friendship that saves a life.
🕸️ The story in brief
Wilbur is a little pig who learns he may be killed for food. Charlotte, a gray spider in the barn, promises to save him. She writes words about Wilbur in her web, and people decide he is far too special to lose.
For grown-ups: the book has a gentle but sad part. Near the end, Charlotte dies, as spiders naturally do at the end of their season. Her babies hatch the next spring. This page mentions it simply and kindly.
📖 The story, part by part
Part 1
Fern saves a runt
On the Arable farm, a tiny pig is born. He is the runt, the smallest and weakest pig in the litter. Fern Arable, who is eight, begs her father not to kill him. She names the pig Wilbur and feeds him from a bottle.
Part 2
A new home in the barn
When Wilbur grows bigger, he is sold to Fern's uncle, Homer Zuckerman. Wilbur lives in the Zuckermans' barn. Fern visits and sits quietly, listening to the animals. Wilbur feels lonely, until a small voice offers to be his friend. It is Charlotte the spider.
Part 3
Scary news
An old sheep tells Wilbur that the farmers are fattening him up to be killed at Christmas. Wilbur is terrified. Charlotte tells him to calm down. She promises she will save him.
Part 4
Words in the web
Charlotte weaves words into her web. The first is “SOME PIG.” People think it is a miracle! Crowds come to see Wilbur. Later, Charlotte writes “TERRIFIC” and “RADIANT.” Templeton the rat helps by bringing back word ideas from the dump.
Part 5
The county fair
Wilbur goes to the county fair, and Charlotte rides along in secret. There she writes one more word: “HUMBLE.” Wilbur wins a special prize. Now the Zuckermans will keep him safe for the rest of his life.
Part 6
A new spring
Charlotte has made an egg sac full of eggs, but she is old and weak. She cannot go home. Wilbur, with Templeton's help, carries the egg sac back to the barn. Charlotte dies at the fair. In spring, her babies hatch. Most float away, but three stay and become Wilbur's friends. Wilbur never forgets Charlotte.
🐷 Meet the characters
Wilbur
A friendly, worried little pig. He wants a friend more than anything.
Charlotte
A large gray barn spider. Her full name is Charlotte A. Cavatica. She is wise, calm and a great writer.
Fern Arable
The girl who saved Wilbur when he was born. She loves animals and listens to them talk.
Templeton
A greedy rat who lives under Wilbur's trough. He only helps when he gets something, but he does help!
The Zuckermans
Fern's aunt and uncle. Wilbur lives in their barn with Lurvy, the hired man who feeds him.
The goose and the sheep
Barn neighbors. The goose says things two or three times, and the old sheep gives Wilbur the scary news.
✍️ Charlotte's web words
Charlotte wrote four words about Wilbur. Tap a word to hear it.
SOME PIG — a really special pig
TERRIFIC — wonderful
RADIANT — glowing, shining
HUMBLE — not proud or show-offy
💛 Big ideas
Friendship
Charlotte and Wilbur are very different, but they care for each other. A true friend helps you, even when it is hard work.
Kindness
Fern is kind to a tiny pig. Charlotte is kind to a scared one. Wilbur is kind to Charlotte's babies. Kindness gets passed along.
The circle of life
Living things are born, grow, and die. New life comes after. Charlotte's life ends, but her babies carry on in the barn.
The lesson: being a good friend can change someone's whole life.
🖋️ Meet the author
E.B. White wrote Charlotte's Web. It came out in 1952. His full name was Elwyn Brooks White.
White lived on a farm in Maine. He kept animals there, including pigs, geese and sheep. He watched a real barn spider spin her web and make an egg sac.
He also wrote Stuart Little, about a mouse, and The Trumpet of the Swan.
⭐ Fun facts
The pictures in the book were drawn by Garth Williams.
In 1953, the book won a Newbery Honor, a big award for children's books.
Charlotte's last name, Cavatica, comes from the science name for a barn spider, Araneus cavaticus.
In the book, Charlotte's egg sac holds 514 eggs!
Real spiders really do spin a silk egg sac to keep their eggs safe.
🧺 The barn quiz
For grown-ups: works with a keyboard too (Tab to move, Enter to choose).
Score: 0 of 5
💬 Talk about it
There are no wrong answers here. Share what you think!
Templeton is greedy, but he helps. Is he a good friend? Why or why not?
If Charlotte could write one word about you, what would it be?
How did Wilbur show he was a good friend to Charlotte?
How did you feel at the end of the book?
Try it: spin your own web word
Draw a spider web on paper. In the middle, write one word that describes a friend, a pet, or you. Then tell someone why you picked it.
📚 Sources
E.B. White, Charlotte's Web, illustrated by Garth Williams (Harper & Brothers, 1952). This page retells the story in our own words.